These are the mornings I work for. This is why I pull long hours and endure the physical strains on my body. It is an early Sunday morning. The sun has finished its entry and my house is peacefully quiet.
(This is a good thing.)
As I write to you, the main reasons I work long hours are sleeping in their beds. They sleep comfortably and I like to believe I have something to do with that. I like to believe that to the best of my ability, I have contributed to the smiles of my family, and hopefully, I have eased some of their concerns.
It is springtime in my section of the world. The trees are beginning to show life and the warm weather birds are making their return. Across from my home, my friend The Old Tree stands exactly as it has for the several decades. True, it has aged. And true, the tree has lost some of its limbs. Many of its branches are grayed and lifeless, but The Old Tree has weathered its share of storms …..and so have I.
I often use this tree as a metaphor. I view it as a symbol of endurance. While age has taken its toll, the roots beneath my old friend have kept it upright and standing. Its roots are deep, which means my friend The Old Tree will never fall. This means unless my neighbors have their way and the town removes it, my friend The Old Tree will continue its life.
As I write to you, the sun continues to move over my small town and share its color of light. In a short while, children in the neighboring homes will wake to a beautiful morning. I see their laughter as a sign of our perseverance. I see them as a continuation of life; and furthermore, I view these young children as a promise of tomorrow.
(And that too is a good thing.)
Today is Easter Sunday, which I consider to be the symbol of spring. I consider this day to be a representation of life in spite of death. I see it as a moment of purity and truth. I see this day as a moment of peace and a promise kept by the Son of Man…
After clearing the Temple courts of its merchants, The Son of Man exclaimed, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” (John 2:19)
But the people argued, “This temple took 46 years to build, and you are going to rebuild it within three days?”
I use this passage as a metaphor, in which, we all have our own intruders and merchants. We all have those who doubt us and fill our minds with disbelief. But same as the merchants did not belong in God the Father’s house, doubts and the faithless do not belong in mine.
We are too confused by the difference between figurative and literal terms.
To explain, I see spring as the resurrection of life. Today marks the resurrection of birth, and the green of our land returns to change the appearance of our landscapes. The flowers have begun to bud and soon they will bloom.
I see this is a description of life’s cycle. For example, there is a sapling in the yard behind my home. Someday, this tree will grow tall and inherit the yard. Same as we are once young, we grow, and we too will inherit the land….
When the Son of Man spoke about destroying and rebuilding the temple in three days, he was referring to his body, and not the literal structure of beams and brick. And three days after his crucifixion, the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
As well, this house I work for and all that belong to it are more than just walls and siding. It is a piece of my mind, body and soul. This is my own trinity, which proves to me that I am, in fact, made in His image.
My efforts are my roots. And like my friend The Old Tree across the street from my house, I try to keep my roots strong so I can weather the storms.
Like the tree, I will age and inevitably gray.
However, like the Son of Man, when my hour is upon me I would like to say, “It is accomplished,” and feel as if I have completed the tasks that were given to me by God the Father.
The Written Addiction 